Platypus Review

Date: 12/14/2006

A platypus is an odd creature that is well known for having the look of being
built from a collection of leftover parts from other animals. Most people have
no idea what one sounds like, what it eats, or if it can do any tricks, its odd
looks alone are enough to make it famous and a shoe-in for the animal hall of
fame should some Midwestern city desperate for tourists ever decide to open one.
This brings us to Platypus the game, which as far as I can tell has nothing in
common with platypuses other than a shared bond of looking unlike anything else
out there. Platypus is basically a side-scrolling shooter, but what sets it
apart is that everything in the game is made from clay. You control a clay ship,
flying past a clay world, while clay UFOs shoot laser beams at you, which is
about the only thing in the game that’s not molded from clay. So let’s see if
its odd look can carry the game…

Clay power.

Well, the short answer is “no”. The day of the side-scrolling shooter has
come and gone, and if you’re going to bring it back today then you need to tap
into the best the genre had to offer. You need an amazing variety of attackers,
a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons, and crazy memorable boss fights that
leave you soaked in sweat … none of which Platypus has. The lack of variety in
the enemies and the repeating backgrounds leave you feeling like you’re stuck in
an endless loop of some kind. The game does have its moments, such as when you
can shoot passing transport ships to force them to drop their fruit cargo which
you can grab for extra points, but overall it is more frustrating than fun.
First it can be hard to see the bullets on the screen over the bright
backgrounds scrolling by and there is an annoying tendency of the background to
put clouds and hills in the foreground. These serve no purpose other than to
hide parts of the screen from your view and set you up to be hit by something
that you can’t see. There is also an issue with the size of your ship. Basically
it’s too big to maneuver in and out of the gaps in the streams of fire enemies
send your way. You’ll often be stuck on a spot on the screen with nothing to do
but watch your inevitable demise unfold before you.

Platypus would have made a good addition to a collection of mini games – a
game with a funky unique look to be played in small doses. On its own there is
not enough in the game to make it compelling and the gameplay is just too
lackluster to sustain interest.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
60%. Clay alone does not a good game make.